How to Use Local Online Marketing to Boost Your Fan Base and Make More Money

The local online marketing techniques are often overlooked by musicians.

While managing your own music career, there are plenty of resources available to help market your music online. This includes traditional marketing solutions, such as social media and email marketing. But, you should also take advantage of local marketing.

There are various strategies that will help you connect with more people in your region. This could translate into more people showing up at your gigs, more record sales, and more money in your pocket.

Along with other marketing strategies, learn how to use local online marketing to boost your fan base.

Geotag Your Videos and Social Media Postings

When you upload a video to YouTube or post on social media, you should tag your location. This can improve your performance in local search results.

It’s a simple step and it doesn’t cost you anything.

Google factors location into search results. By tagging your location on uploaded videos and social media posts, you’ll get a boost to local search results and social media search results.

Create Facebook Events for All Live Performances

Any time that you play live, you should create a Facebook Event, unless the event is already created by the venue. It gives you a simple platform for promoting your upcoming performance and makes it easier for your fans to recommend it to friends.

Use Targeted Facebook and Instagram Ads

Instagram paid ads are now handled through the Facebook ad campaign manager. Here’s a short walk-through for creating Instagram ads in Facebook’s ad manager:

You should be using both Instagram and Facebook ads to reach your local audience. And, the Facebook ad campaign manager allows you to specifically target your local area.

When you create an ad, you have the option of narrowing your reach. The “reach” is the number of people that will likely view your advertisement. Narrowing the reach increases interest, which boosts your conversion rates.

You can narrow the reach with various targeting options. First, you can target your region. This could include your city or the entire state. Other options include age range and interests. With interests, make sure that you include “music” or your specific genre of music as an “interest”.

Create a Fan Magnet to Gain More Fans

What do you use these targeted ads for? Paid ads are useful for directing traffic to your website. But, traffic alone won’t help you earn money. You need to convert these visitors into fans or customers.

One solution is to get these visitors to join a mailing list. Email mailing lists are collections of subscribers that have agreed to receive emails from you. This gives you the opportunity to follow-up with your visitors and provides updates about new releases or upcoming performances.

Most people don’t just give away their email address. To get people to subscribe to your mailing list will require something special.

If you want to gain subscribers, you should give visitors a free offer – such as a free MP3 download of one of your songs. We refer to this as a “fan magnet”. You’re giving people something to gain their attention and trust. In turn, they’re giving you their email address.

The setup is simple – create a web page on your website. Add a subscription form using a plugin or add-on on your website builder. Direct subscribers to a confirmation page, which will include a link to download the free offer.

You then add some text, to present the offer. Keep the text short, simple, and to the point. You now have a destination for your paid Facebook or Instagram ads.

Optimize Your Website for Local Search Results

Another strategy for using local online marketing is to optimize your website for local search results. Basic SEO (search engine optimization) can be completed without the help of a professional SEO team.

First, you need to remember to include your city name throughout your website. Add the name anywhere that it can be naturally included – including the about page or within the content of your web pages.

Also, include links to local venues. You should have a page on your website dedicated to upcoming performances. If you’re going to play at a festival, club, or bar that has their own website, you should add a link to their site.

Claim a Google Places Listing

Google Places listings are primarily used by local businesses with physical storefronts. But, they are also used by individuals, entrepreneurs, and small businesses without an office.

The benefit of Google Places is that you’ll get access to useful analytics and tools. And, you’ll get a boost to your local search results.

The drawback is that your address will be listed in search results connected to your Google Places profile. It’s up to you if you want your address to be visible to the public.

If you already have a separate address that you can use, such as a studio or office, then you need a Google Places listing.

The combination of these steps will help you attract more visitors to your website – particularly in your local region. This doesn’t mean that you need to limit your ambitions to your local area.

But, it will help you concentrate on building your local fan base so that you’ll eventually be able to expand into larger markets.

Along with these tips, don’t forget to explore the rest of our blog posts. You’ll find a collection of helpful online marketing tips and other music management suggestions to help give you a leg up. Good luck!

Source: ArtistPR Music Marketing